Monday, October 31, 2016

Review ~ Cauldron Bubble by Wendy Knight


“You’ve just always been the powerful one. I’m the smart aleck.” 
“We’re the same. I’m night, you’re day. You have to have both to have life.” 
“You can hide in the shadows.” 
“And you can shine like the sun. This prophesy is about both of us.” 

Destiny doesn't think she's anything special. The daughter of an outcast witch. Her twin, Fate, is her best friend, so that's awesome. They're experts in love potions and selling them to crazy high school kids.

So they can buy more shoes.

But that all changes when their school is attacked by warlocks—warlocks who want her power for their own. The attack launches her onto the path the stars have chosen for Destiny, Fate, and their long-lost father.

Oh, and Quin.

Quin, who's the son of a witch, only tolerating Destiny's presence because she can save his mother. Except along the way, that all changes, and he realizes Destiny is everything he never knew he wanted. The only problem is she thinks if love can be made from a potion, it can't be a real thing.
If they survive this, he's going to prove her wrong.


Jewelz Review~

"... little pink bubbles hummed to the surface, rose and danced across the ceiling. One popped..."

Cauldron Bubble tells the story of twin witches, Fate and Destiny. The girls are potion witches (as opposed to warrior witches) who live with their mother away from the rest of the coven. The twins delight in creating a variety of potions, including a love potion that has managed to get them expelled from school on three separate occasions.

Quinn is the son of a warrior witch - he has no powers of his own, since only women can be witches. When Destiny and Fate arrive at his school he can't help that Destiny turns his head. She's beautiful and brilliant. No one was better than him at Chemistry... well, until Destiny arrived. The silent competition and animosity between the two is almost palpable. Until the warlocks attack the school leaving Quinn's mother near death and Destiny severely injured.

The result is the twins, Quinn, and a few other companions embark on an epic adventure to save the world from the evil warlocks. Battles are fought, a "destiny" is followed, families are reunited, and love conquers all.

Cauldron Bubble was a true delight.

FYI ~ clean read with mild language and violence
Honest Disclosure ~ I received a review copy from the author


About the author~
Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.


You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heel for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.

Friday, October 28, 2016

King of the Friend Zone by Sheralyn Pratt



Esme Taylor has an amazing fiancé, a lifelong best friend, and a problem. The problem stems from the fact that her best friend is named Hunter and, well. . .he’s kind of (totally) hot. It’s hate at first sight when her fiancé, Jon, and Hunter meet. Jon’s convinced that Hunter is in love with Esme, and that Hunter must be out of the picture if their upcoming marriage is to succeed. 


Esme thinks Jon is paranoid. 

The truth is, Jon’s not that far off. Hunter is in love with his best friend and always has been. What Jon has wrong, however, is that Hunter never had any plans of ruining Esme’s happily ever after. Hunter wants what’s best for Esme, even if that’s not him. 

When Jon pushes hard to end Esme and Hunter’s friendship, opposition comes from the most unlikely of places. It’s an eccentric lady with a cookie cart who suggests a different solution to Esme’s problem: Hunter and Esme should give each other a chance. 

They’ve both thought of the possibility over the years—of course they have. But with a ring already on Esme’s finger and a heap of hurt feelings and broken trust in the mix, there hasn’t been a worse time to explore the depths of their feelings for each other. 

Both Esme and Hunter think it’s time to move on and leave childhood crushes in the past. The question is: Can one woman and the taste of one cookie change their minds? 

Note to Reader: This book is a "clean" read with mainstream values and minor language. 


~Jewelz Review~
A wonderful addition to the Power of the Matchmaker series! King of the Friend Zone is a contemporary romance based in San Francisco. Esme is newly engaged to Jon and things start to get a little unsettled when she introduces Jon to her best friend, Hunter. She and Hunter have literally known each other their entire lives. Their moms are best friends and so they grew up together. Even though the two are only friends, Jon puts the brakes on Esme and Hunter's relationship. After all, is it really appropriate for an engaged woman to be best friends with a single guy? (Especially one as hot as Hunter Chase) The pair's lives are so intertwined that Jon's ultimatum is understandably painful for Esme. But, despite her frustrations, she feels she needs to sacrifice to make her relationship with Jon work.

Fortunately, Esme and Hunter have an amazing group of friends and family who know they were meant to be together, even if they don't. Some take a back seat and allow them to make their own ill-advised choices and learn from them, while a couple have no problem telling them how it is. 

It wouldn't be a Matchmaker book without Miss Pearl. I love Miss Pearl and her kissing cookies. It's always a joy to have her appear in each book. Those cookies are a stroke of genius!

What makes this story so amazing though, isn't just that it's a story of best friends finding true love. It's all the little layers, all the supporting characters, all the depth that makes this more than just a fun read. Kenny's sub-plot combined with the main story arc juxtapose a very subtle form of abuse with more obvious types. The effects of both can be devestating and too many people find themselves unwittingly in abusive relationships - even strong, intelligent women like Esme and Shauna.

Overall a wonderful, heartwarming love story that I didn't want to put down.

FYI ~ clean read but with "mainstream" values (adult drinking and such)
Honest disclosure ~ I received a copy in exchange for my honest review

~About the Author~
(from Goodreads.com)

I like to keep things light and fun, and believe that life is journey so if you're going to buy a book, your life should better for it. Whether a book I write is intended to help you escape for a few hours or designed to teach you a new skill, I hope you find it unforgettable...in a good way. ;)

Current/Upcoming Titles:
- The Kiss that Launched 1,000 GIFs (June 2015)
- Pimpernel (January 2016)
- Walk of Infamy (Spring 2016)
- King of the Friend Zone (September 2016)
- The Third Wheel (Fall 2016)

About the Rhea Jensen series. I like to tell people, WARNING: This Series Contains Mormons. This series is more mystery/adventure with a dab of romance. HOWEVER, the last book in the series, Walk of Infamy, will be a stand-alone novel and end to the Rhea Jensen series that Pimpernel fans will likely enjoy.



Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Book Blitz for Cowboys and Calico (boxed set)



Kirsten Osbourne, USA Today bestselling author, knows how to write romance. Each book is an experience that transplants the reader, indulging them in decadence, intense emotion and sweeping love.
Hailing from the state of Wisconsin, she has lived in Texas for over thirty years as a mother, writer, and wife. Married to the love of her life for more than fifteen years, she knows that true love exists and shares that vision with the world. 
She writes contemporary and historical romance as well and also ventures into the realm of paranormal romance. She invites you to join her in her world of fantasy, love, and make believe, no matter the location, where there is always a happily ever after at the end.




Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.

She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born more recently (she won't say how recently or not recently) because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She has hit Amazon bestseller status twice, once for A Clean Slate and once for A Clear Hope.
Author Information:


Cassie Hayes, Bestselling author, grew up pretending she was Laura Ingalls (before that pesky Almanzo arrived on the scene) in the middle of Oregon farm country. She writes sweet stories about love and adventure in the Old West and lives with her husband and cat on the Pacific Ocean. 

Connect with her at: 
list.cassiehayes.com
www.CassieHayes.com
fb.me/authorcassiehayes
www.goodreads.com/cassiehayes
www.pinterest.com/TheCassieHayes
Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a new release or sale: list.cassiehayes.com


Kristin Holt, USA Today Bestselling Author, writes Sweet Romances (G- and PG-rated) set in the Victorian American West. While secular in nature, her titles are "Appropriate for All Audiences" and appeal to selective readers and fans of Christian historical romance.

Readers are welcome to contact Kristin on her website (www.KristinHolt.com) with questions, feedback, comments, or just to say hello. She enjoys connecting with readers and replies to every (reasonable) email. Her site offers links to social media, previews of upcoming releases, book lists, an ever-growing cache of articles about all things "Old West", and more!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kristin-Holt/e/B00FPXLSLW/



Margery Scott is the author of more than twenty romance novels, novellas and short stories. She lives on a lake in Canada with her husband, and spends as much time as possible travelling in search of the perfect setting for her next book. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her wielding a pair of knitting needles or a pool cue. She loves to hear from readers. 

Follow on Facebook and Twitter



"Five bestselling Western romance authors come together to bring you one collection of all-new stories that will sweep you off your feet!

MAIL ORDER MIDWIFE by Kirsten Osbourne - Widowed midwife Patsy Lawrence spent too much time working and not enough with her young daughter. She knew Emily's childhood would be over before she realized it, so she responded to an ad for a mail-order bride, hoping for a better future for them both.
Dr. Wesley Hardy needed a wife to complete him, so he sent a letter to a mail-order bride agency back East, hoping to find someone compatible. When he received a letter from a widow with a young daughter, he was thrilled with everything but her profession. Could he live with the fact that his new bride was a midwife? Or would they be destined to live without love for the rest of their days?

A BROKEN WING by Amelia C. Adams - Bored beyond all reason while riding a train from Missouri to Colorado, Trinity Scott amuses herself by imagining things about the passengers around her, including the handsome man sitting across the aisle. With his dark curly hair and warm brown eyes, he’s certainly intriguing, and the fact that his arm is in a sling makes him all the more a curiosity.
But when three dangerous men board the train, her desire for adventure and excitement takes a sinister turn, and she must call on her inner strength to do what’s needed to survive.

THE MARSHAL’S REBELLIOUS BRIDE by Cassie Hayes - U.S. Marshal Curtis ‘Griff’ Griffith is on the trail of a wanted man. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by the newest resident of the Dalton Brothers Ranch. So why does he keep returning? It’s certainly not to see the beautiful-but-bullheaded Catherine James.
Catherine has no interest in men or marriage, but there aren’t many choices for single ladies to earn a living on a remote Texas ranch. When she discovers that she holds the key to capturing the outlaw — and collecting some of the reward — she doesn’t hesitate to force Griff’s hand.
Will they kill each other before they find the murderer, or will they risk their damaged hearts for a shot at a new life?

COURTING MISS CARTWRIGHT by Kristin Holt - Courtship, by the book, is supposed to be easy…
As the daughter of an unwed mother, Felicity Percival is accustomed to rejection. Her mother was her only family ... until she is summoned to the reading of her father's will. To learn he was a married preacher with a second daughter horrifies her. The stipulations attached to her inheritance infuriate her. The last thing she expects is the emergence of truths that destroy her life-long beliefs. The last thing she wants is to feel the blush of first love for a man she can't have.
The road to Happily Ever After should not be rocky, especially for level-headed, rule-following Rocky Gideon. His courtship of the minister’s daughter is successful and on track, surviving everything life throws at them … except the appearance of the preacher’s other daughter. Felicity asks too many questions, forces him to evaluate his carefully constructed plan, and somehow steals his heart.
Rocky desperately needs a solid marriage that will go the distance … so why does he yearn for the wrong sister?

WANTED: THE PERFECT HUSBAND by Margery Scott - Sybil Franklin needs a husband—fast! In order to keep her ranch, she must be married within thirteen days. Devin McGregor meets all her requirements and comes highly recommended, but he has no interest in marriage.
Devin McGregor had a ranch once, a fiancée, a future. He made a mistake, and it cost him everything. Now, even though he’d love to own his own land again, he’s afraid to risk failure.
Sybil decides to post an advertisement for the perfect husband. As Devin tries to protect her from being taken advantage of, his feelings for her grow, but his fear of failing her won’t let him accept her proposal.





Interview With Author Margery Scott
&
A Snippet from WANTED: THE PERFECT HUSBAND 


1. Describe yourself in 50 words or less.
Scottish by birth. Canadian by choice. Wife, mother, grandmother, sister. Too short for my weight, and older on the outside than on the inside. Travel fanatic, junk food addict and avid pool player.
2. What do you love most in the world?
I hope I haven’t found it yet. In the meantime, I love so many things – dancing, walking on the beach at sunrise, curling up with a good book in front of a roaring fire, spending time with my boys ... oh, and ice cream.
3. What do you fear most?
Bees, wasps, hornets. On a deeper level, I don’t ever want to be dependent on someone else for my basic needs.
4. What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
I’d love a beach house somewhere warm but that can’t happen (cue music from The Impossible Dream). Otherwise, I’m pretty content with my life … but I wouldn’t mind winning an Emmy or an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
5. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
That would be far too depressing, so I’ll keep that to myself.
6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
I write romance, and the first meet between the hero and heroine is a major event. But what about real life? It usually isn’t dramatic enough for a romance novel. I tell people I met my husband in the back seat of a car just to make it sound more interesting and risqué, and a statement like that does make eyebrows arch. I was eighteen. My best friend asked me to go with her to watch her boyfriend’s hockey game. I had nothing else to do, so I agreed. Her boyfriend was giving another player a ride. We stopped at the player’s house. He got in, said hello. We got to the rink. He got out and said goodbye. Repeat on the way home after the game. Four words. That was the extent of our conversation that night. A few days later, he (and my friend’s boyfriend) showed up at my house. And as they say, the rest is history.

Excerpt:

“I’m not quite sure how to say this, but Mr. Morgan said—”
She twisted the straps of her reticule until they were wound as tight as what he expected her nerves were. Then she looked up at him. “I have to … what I mean is, I need …”
“You need what?” he prodded.
She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I need a husband.”
Devin could have sworn the woman was asking him to marry her, but he must have heard wrong. Didn’t he? “You want a husband?” he asked.
She looked away, as if she couldn’t force herself to look him square in the eye.
“I don’t want a husband. I need a husband,” she repeated.
He let out a soft whistle. “That’s what I thought you said, but I figured I was hearing things. And Brett Morgan thought I might be the one to ask?”
If the woman had mentioned Trey’s name – or even Heath’s - instead of Brett’s, he would have been sure it was some kind of prank. But not Brett.
She nodded. “I realize this must come as a shock, but time is of the utmost importance. I just got here yesterday and I don’t have time to be courted properly.”
“You mind telling me why you’re in such a hurry to get married that you’d marry a man you don’t even know?”
“Of course.” She let out a short laugh. “I realize this is quite unusual,” she began, then for the next few minutes explained everything that had happened. “So you see, Mr. McGregor, since you are unmarried and you’re familiar with ranching, you’re the obvious choice.”
Devin couldn‘t believe what he was hearing, but he wasn’t about to get married, especially to a woman he’d never seen before a few minutes ago.
Sure, he’d been a rancher, but he’d lost everything. And he wasn’t going to take the chance again, especially when it was somebody else’s ranch he could lose. “Look, ma’am, I’m sure you’re a nice lady and you’ll make some man a good wife one day, but not me.”


To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 



Friday, October 21, 2016

Official Book Tour: OPEN-UP!: Six Steps To Getting Unstuck And Move Forward In Your Life



A few weeks back we had a fantastic Blits for author T.G. Harris, MFT. And now, we get to be part of a fantastic tour featuring this author and her amazing book!

Come join us!


This book is written for anyone who has a genuine desire to move forward in their lives but, despite numerous attempts, nothing seems to be working and you keep ending up with the same outcomes year after year. You will learn how to recognize habitual patterns of thought that are sabotaging your life on an unconscious level. Everyone has good intentions for their lives and ultimately wants the best outcomes, but oftentimes we get in our own way by allowing self-destructive thought patterns to impede our good intentions—without actually knowing we are doing so. I know this all too well because this was my life for several years.

This book was written because of my own personal experiences in life, and the experiences of my clients that I serve in my practice. This book gets right down to your core by unveiling the good, the bad, and the ugly about the way you think about yourself and everything that is happening in your life. In essence, this book is entirely about YOU! Most of us try to change ourselves at the level of our thoughts, but true transformation happens at the level at which you vibrate. You will learn how to completely shift your vibrational way of thinking and allow better circumstances to come into your life, whatever they may be. Whether you want to get unstuck in a relationship pattern or a financial pattern that keeps coming up, this book serves as a guide that will explore the moments when you get into trouble, and offers tools for learning to stay with your uneasiness, and offers concrete steps to get unstuck so you can finally move forward in life. 

You will learn the O.P.E.N.U.P. steps: Observation, Permission, Experience, Not Identifying, Understanding, and Practice. These steps will serve as your doorway into revealing the very thing that is keeping you stuck. Once you discover those “hidden” truths about yourself, your entire state of being will be altered, and you will no longer resist all the good that life has in store for you.







Tanishia is a renowned Life Coach, counselor, author, speaker, and radio personality, host, and brand ambassador. She is a conscious transformational expert who thrives on enlightening her clients to step boldly outside their comfort zone and into their greatness. She assists her clients in reaching their highest potential and attaining their lifelong dreams and goals through a powerful series of steps she developed called the Open-up Coaching Method. She embarked on a similar journey as the one you are undertaking, assisted by many of today’s well-known self-help gurus. That is what led to her desire to become a Counseling Psychologist and an Open-up Life Coach.

After the birth of her first daughter (who is now a teenager), she immersed herself in yoga and meditation and has dedicated her time and energy to becoming profoundly aware of her own inner growth and awareness while assisting her clients to do the same. She is a powerful & intuitive high performance coach for those who are ready to hold themselves to a more fulfilled purpose in their life & business.

Tanishia studied earth sciences as an undergraduate at UCLA, and while there, she decided to intern with the Semel Neuropsychiatric Institute. Serving as a resource counselor for HIV+ at-risk youth and women, Tanishia knew she found her calling in the field of Psychology. She went on to obtain her Masters of Science degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. She didn’t want to wait until after she graduated to start working with clients, and she also realized that she enjoys coaching clients outside of the normal therapy that she provides in the clinical setting. She launched the Open-up Coaching programs and began speaking and lecturing about her own personal experiences of opening up and healing. She had A LOT of healing within herself that needed to be done.  Her deep desire for self-realization, healing, peace, and balance within herself drew her to the field of coaching and psychology.

Tanishia is very intentional in her practice when working with her clients and she believes that a lot of the challenges her clients are faced with stem from old childhood beliefs systems and paradigms that are operating in the subconscious mind. She believes that we are no longer victims of the past. Today we can move beyond mere survival, and embrace our ability to thrive!

Tanishia also provides mental health services for clients wanting more of a therapeutic counseling session. She provides counseling services to those in need and works under the supervision of a licensed psychologist while she is attaining her hours for licensure. 

Tanishia is a true environmentalist and she believes that being green is a consciousness, not a trend. She has a deep connection to the earth and all things natural. She sits on the Board of Friends of Geography at UCLA and is also a volunteer with the American Red Cross. 


Connect with the Author here: 
Twitter ~ Website ~ Instagram ~


~Excerpt~
Many years ago, in Thailand, there was a temple called the Temple of the Golden

Buddha. Inside the temple was a substantially large statue of a Buddha plated in gold. The monastery where the Buddha was housed received word that they were going to be invaded by an army from a foreign country. The monks decided to cover the Buddha with mud, stone and concrete with the hope that when the army arrived, they would see a regular Buddha and perceive no value in it. When the army arrived with its weapons, they saw nothing but a plain stone statue and decided not to plunder it. Eventually the original Buddha was unearthed and restored back to his golden stature.

The metaphor in this story is that each of us was born "golden," connected to eternity and ultimate bliss. We were each born with an absolute knowledge of all the teachings that every single spiritual master has ever said—the Christ, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, etc. Shortly after birth we begin to lose this knowledge of our golden light as the world teaches us that we are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough or healthy enough. We are taught how to act and dress according to society's perception of our gender, and what parts Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian people play in our culture. As we grow up and experience setbacks and tragedy, we start to believe that we are the stone Buddha and not the golden one. Often it is not until we experience a major setback in life—whether it is some type of tragedy such as death, divorce, financial setback or disease—that we start to chip away at the stone, and, little by little, slowly remember our
inner, golden Buddha.

~Author Interview~

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?

This is such a loaded question because I have been pondering this pretty much all month since I finished my book. I love writing books that will spark creativity and some type of transformation on behalf of the reader which is why I am drawn to the self-help genre, but I also like to write poetry about feelings and emotions while dabbling in fiction as well. I wrote a “note” about the meaning of mantra’s and how mantra’s play an important role in how we speak to and interact with ourselves. I plan to incorporate spoken word in my future books and next year I am writing another book about opening up to our partners with #nofilters


What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?

My youngest brother calls me “Sister Sunkist” because he swears my way of thinking and being is not from this planet. I would definitely say that I am somewhat “different” and I knew from a very early age that I have a strong spiritual gift of intuition and being able to read peoples energy pretty accurately. I am very passionate about living a life of authenticity and truth, and I firmly believe that as humans we allow ourselves to live way below our true potential because we are so choked with the fear of being “seen” and not accepted and or rejected. For relaxation, I find solace in nature and in doing yoga and frequently visiting spas. My favorite tv shows are anything to do with travel and home/garden work. Hobbies are yoga, meditation, foodie events and cooking.


What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist? 

When I am around people that a full of creativity and high energy I get really excited. I love being around people that are innovative, different in their own right and who live boldly by stepping outside of the normal comfort zone. When I attend a conference on a subject that I like or listen to a podcast or webinar about a topic I am passionate about I really get excited because normally it motivates me to go back and write something on my own or create a video, blog post or IG post related to what I just read or heard. I often write to instrumental music that usually has a light “coffeehouse” jazz undertone to it.


"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet? LOL, I actually do not have a cat, but I did grow up with tons of cats when I was a kid. I actually have guinea pigs and plan to eventually get a dog in a couple of years.




To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 



Thursday, October 20, 2016

Review ~ At the Water's Edge by Annette Lyon



Annela grew up in Helsinki feeling alone and unwanted. Now she has decided to begin a new spiritual life. In her heart, she knows that this new path will lead her to the happiness and peace she desires. But shadows from her past keep reappearing, stalling her progress and making her ultimate goal seem unreachable. First her boyfriend, Tommi, pledges his love, all the while acting in ways that destroy her faith in him. Then her mother, Helena, keeps a dark secret from her that could change Annela's life forever. Then Kenneth appears in her life, but during his brief stay in Finland, will he help her find the love and happiness she’s looking for, or will he prove to be one more complication?

~Jewelz Review~
I have found that full-length novels by Annette Lyon have a depth not often found in today's literature. Admittedly, I have read more of her novellas than full-length novels and given the contraints of that medium the depth isn't really possible. I have decided I need to track down and read more of her longer works.

At the Water's Edge tells the story of Annela - a twenty-something young Finnish woman who at the opening of the book has just decided to be baptized in the LDS church. Her father disowns her and her new beliefs impact her relationship with her boyfriend Tommi, but through all the difficulties she faces, she is able to find peace in the gospel that she knows is true.

Annela's story isn't a simple one. There are a lot of complexities in her backstory, her current relationships, and then the new relationships she begins with Mrs. Hendersen, Kenneth, Mia, and even her family members. If Annela believed that joining God's church would secure for her a life without difficulty, she would have been wrong. However, she knew she'd face difficulties and despite moments of despair and weakness, she held fast to her faith and found that God is mindful of her and that He will provide for her.

This was an emotional story - there were some upsetting events that pulled at my heartstrings and other tender moments that made me sigh. As the story unfolded some things were predictable (as they should be) and others came as a bit of a surprise. It was a very well-balanced story that kept me turning pages and not wanting to put it down.

FYI ~ clean read with LDS (Mormon) themes along with mainstream topics (drinking, abuse, etc.)
Honest disclosure ~ I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Hearts Ablaze Boxed Set


AMAZON * B&N * Google * Kobo

Eight bestselling authors. Eight sizzling tales from the Old West to set your heart ablaze…
In Whispered Love, bestselling author Kathleen Ball takes you to the wild Pacific Northwest, a land bristling with handsome, well-muscled lumberjacks. Foreman Samuel Pearse has only one rule; no women allowed. Until he finds one asleep in his bathtub—Pat Clarke, the company cook. With her secret revealed and her virtue at stake, Pat turns to the only man who can help her…the one man who can set fire to her heart.
In Kate’s Outlaw, award-winning author E.E. Burke spins a suspenseful yarn about a half-breed desperado who abducts--and then rescues--a rich railroad heiress. On the run from danger, with enemies on both sides, Jake and Kate seek solace in each other’s arms, igniting a love as powerful as it is forbidden.
The Officer and the Bostoner, from USA Today bestselling author Rose Gordon, follows the adventures of a well-to-do lady traveling cross-country to meet her intended. Instead, she finds herself stranded at a military fort and forced into an unwanted marriage. Can a hot-blooded officer spark love in his wife’s cold heart?
Fools Rush from USA Today bestselling author Ciara Knight. A young woman, desperate for independence from all men, embarks on a crazy cross-country wagon train adventure disguised as a man. Instead of finding her independence, a bounty hunter captures her under the guise of horse thieving, a crime punishable by hanging. Will a man she’s lied to for months save her, or will he surrender her to a monster with a badge?
Ridin’ For A Fall by Kirsten Lynn immerses you in a fiery tale of forever love. When circumstances force best friends and Wild West Show performers, Lena Boden and Kyle Allaway to marry and return to Wyoming, they must stand together against internal doubts and external forces seeking their destruction—or risk a fall that will knock them out of the saddle for good.
In A Warrior’s Heart, best-selling author, Amanda McIntyre brings to life the passionate story of a bold Cherokee warrior and the brave white woman he rescues from certain death. Thrown together by circumstances not of their own making, they overcome betrayal and tragedy to find a love strong enough to bring nations together.
The Rancher, by bestselling author Hildie McQueen, transports readers to 1870s Montana Territory and into a sensual encounter between an injured rancher and a woman running for her life. Sometimes love enters at the worst moment. 

In The Drifter, bestselling author Elizabeth Rose takes readers on an epic journey across the plains, as drifter Chase Masters shows up wounded at Nessa Pemberton's stagecoach relay station mistaken as the bandit who killed her husband. Can a single mother learn to love again and put her trust in a man who is nothing but a drifter?


Saturday, October 15, 2016

Monster Mash Book Blitz ~ Day 12





Claudette Melanson writes & edits in Kitchener, Ontario, with her husband Ron and four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature. She's wished to be a Vampire since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.

In her spare time she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories....along with other great fiction. She is also very interested in good health and is an advocate of Ketogenic eating, using whole and natural foods. Her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include writing many more books and spending more time with her son Jacob. Her biggest dream is to make Universal Halloween Horror Nights a yearly event with hubby and son. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.


Q&A With the Author:

Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

We walked into the shelter with the pet carrier.

“We came to see Tegan,” I told the lady at the counter.

“Oh yes, I got your email. You’re Claudette?”

“Yes.”

“Right this way.”

We peeked into the room at the two bunny cages stacked on top of one another. Tegan had the sweetest eyes…just as he had in the picture on the Rabbit Rescue site which had drawn me to him. He was easily four times the size of the dwarf bunny in the cage below him.

“He’s really big,” Ron said. “Aren’t you worried he might hurt Cuddles?”

“Are you kidding? Remember, you’re talking about Cuddles.” I turned to the volunteer. “Can I go in and see him?”

“Sure.” A heartbeat later we were inside the room, and the lady was taking Tegan from his cage. “Do you want to sit on the floor?”

Tegan came over to me immediately. It was like he knew we were always meant to be together. His thin grey and white spotted body crawled over my own tall frame, his nose, heart-shaped with its white outline, skimmig my skin to take me in. “His ear…”

“That’s just starting to heal up.” It looked like something…or someone…had torn a notch from the outside edge closest to his body.

“How did this happen to him?”

“We don’t know. Rabbit Rescue brought him to the shelter.”

I started to rise, but Tegan pounced onto my chest in desperation, as if begging me not to go. 

“Don’t worry, buddy; you’re coming with us. Ron, bring the carrier in here. We’ll take him,” I said to the woman, who quickly exited to print out the adoption paperwork. 

Ron placed the open carrier on the floor, and after the briefest of whiffs, Tegan leapt in, eager to go home.

Connect with the Author here: 

The 3rd book in the 1st of several trilogies featuring Maura & her family! 

Maura has never felt so alone in her life…nor has her existence ever been so overshadowed by peril…

Not only do both her parents—her distant but loving mother and recently- returned father—remain absent from her life, but due to the hideous error in judgement executed in collusion with her best friend, Valdamir, and adoptive sister, Susie, Maura has been cut off from the pair’s friendship and support, forbidden by both her father and the fallout from the dire outcome to see either of them. The heartbreak she suffers, brought on by the weight of these estrangements, is only intensified by the continued mysterious absence of her supernaturally-destined mate, Ron…whose disappearance delivers grave consequences Maura would have never dreamed possible…

Despised by her vampire cousin, Aldiva, for reasons Maura cannot yet comprehend, the young changeling will be forced to guard her back with every step, as she comes to realize this member of her vampire family would love nothing more than to bring about her demise. Aldiva’s wrath calls forth other members from both Vancouver covens, forcing them to rush to Maura’s aid—even though her father, their king, has expressly forbidden the other vampires to initiate contact with his daughter. Will her extended family on Vancouver Island obey, abandoning Maura to her doom, or will they instead rebel against Maxwell’s wishes in order to save her life?

In addition to the menace personified in her unsolicited enemy, the unlikely vampire princess will find herself drowning as she is pulled down into the depths of a far more devastating crisis…one which may condemn her to a fate she considers much more undesirable than death. But in order to tear herself free from the deadly pull which is drawing her under, Maura must enlist the help of her preternatural family, exposing her newfound friends to a danger none of them have ever had the misfortune to face before. Can she be saved or will the riptide drag Maura under…along with those she loves the most…

In this third and final book of The Maura DeLuca Trilogy,the first of several trilogies to come, the reader will delve even deeper into the secrets guarded by Maura’s father, the mystery of Ron’s role in her life and the identities of the mysterious Vancouver Island Coven members who have, up until now, remained hidden in the shadows. This trilogy rounds out the segment of Maura’s life during which she discovers she is a member of The Born—a human destined to complete her transformation into a vampire! This series of young adult fantasy novels has been enjoyed by readers of nearly every age and are found by them to be dramatically different from any other vampire books they have read in the past. Discover a magical world filled with fae, angels, elves, pixies and other enchanting creatures in addition to two families made up of some of the most likeable vampires—for the most part—to ever exist.





Snippet:

“I know what you did to your friend,” she stated, throwing my tenuous hold on my mental axis to the stabbing wintry wind.

My defenses kicked in, brought purely to light by some unfamiliar instinct. “I didn’t… It was Susie…” Shame flooded my entire being.

“You turned her. It was your doing, ultimately,” she articulated with icy absolution.

It hadn’t been I alone who’d turned her, but I wouldn’t have mentioned my lost friend, Valdamir, for a pint of fresh, warm blood. I feared for his life and safety enough already. Still, her words gave pause to the blood in my veins and reminded me of my part in the murder of one of my best friends, Amanda.

Aldiva stalked after me, toppling me over with the smallest push of her slight index finger. Her eyes blazed at me… I’d never known blue could hold such fire.

I scrabbled backward like an upside-downed tortoise—ineffective—my palms scraping over the thorny rocks. The saltwater’s sharp sting was barely registered by my mind. Her gaze was far more cutting.

If there had been anyone around to watch such a ridiculous display, I’m sure they would have been left bewildered—me, scuttling backward like the world’s clumsiest crab—backing away in horrified haste from a young girl of such slight stature, who appeared much more angel than demon from a distance.

“YOU broke our peace. You disrupted the harmony of my family.” She pointed her icicle finger at me as she hissed out her rage. “Maxwell can keep his mate, but I will deny him his daugh…”

The chilled idea of sudden, unavoidable death assaulted me with a cold unlike any I’d ever felt before—even the preternatural touch of my father’s skin—and it permeated me long after the threat had been nullified.


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